sketch for The Conquest of the Air 1913

"Sketch for The Conquest of the Air" (1913) by Roger de La Fresnaye, is a Cubist work depicting two figures in a landscape against a blue sky with a cloud. The work is characterized by the fragmented forms and geometric shapes typical of Cubist art, which emphasize the flatness of the canvas and the breakdown of traditional perspective. The sketch for this work is an essential example of the artistic development of de La Fresnaye as he would later go on to produce "The Conquest of the Air" (1914), a large-scale, monumental work exploring the theme of modern technology. This sketch provides insight into the artist's compositional process and his evolving artistic language.